The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-07-09
want at any time. Americans arc think.
Ing there things, why not say them and
lei the world understand the situation ?
powDEI.LY ON IMMIGRATION.

Ing these things, why not Say. them and
let the world understand the situation
+ 81 pOwDEl,LY ON lAfAlGlsATIOS.
Tho Labor Leaders, Solid Horse Sense.
Public Men viii Have To Come To II.
sranton, Pa, ditpaieh IN N, J. 7iass.
The Question Of immigration, which
promlsosto become. vital subject with the
Knighta Of Labor in the immediate future,
Ia treated OF length and with great bold.
ness in an exhaustive letter published here
last evening by General Matter Workman
Powderly, who replies In io.aight's iasue
otthe Scranton Truth to the Interchangeable
on his Fourth Of July speech by the Re.
publican, which Gays that bis policy " outd
shut tho doors against the classes who
most Of all have need OF this country"
Mr.. Powderly answers that his policy
would undoubtedly shut the door against
q great many who have need Of this conn.
try, but /! would not prevent the land.
ing Of any individual Of whom the
country Is Ia need, and as this Is a two.
sided question 1t 10 only fair to consider.
the requirements and needs Of the coun.
try % we'll as the immigrant. Following
out OF this line Of thought he says: "Does
the United States require an influx OF Inn
migrants at the.r Of from 1000 to 10000
dsy? My experience teaches me that
this constantly increasing tide Of immigra.
ton Ia detrimental to the immigrant and
the country to which he comes. l said
and now repeat 1t, that until II can be
ahown that the person landing on our
ahores can be Belt-sustaining for at least
one year he should not be allowed to land.
| It does not follow that each immigrant
should show the ready cash, although that
would be better still. What Is required Ia
10 know the condition Of the country and
It's needs, and II the condition
OF the country ia auch that
a man cannot be Belf.sustaining
for the first year alter bis arrival. II be
must knock at the door OF mine, mill, or
factory and offer TO take the place OF the
| American workingman for less money
than that man receives for his labor, then
his advent to this country partakes more
OF the nature Of curas than q blessing,
My plan does not deal with the immi'
grant alone. 1t will, through the aid OIL
bureaus now being perfected, chow what
an amount Of immigration this country
requires. More than that We should mol
have. Mr.. Powderly continuing, says: I'll
public men had to act the part Of the
everyday lsborer before becoming public
men, and II they intended returning t
the ranks OF the laborer after retiring from
public lie they might be willing to apply
oven more restrictive measures than I'D.
Yocated.
| knownothingism, as I understand It,
would prevent the landing OF every for
eiguer and particularly Of Roman Cstho.
lies. No such Interpretation can possibly
be given to anything I have said. The
men who are "prominent in politics" are
not the ones who first speak out on ques'
tionB which concern the people Of thi&
country. The people Themselves speak
first, and as soon as 1t is known that the
people want thing the man prominent
in polltics" will Join in the cry, but he
seldom takes the lead. know what the
working people OF this country want
and tho want Is not confined tc
American.born workingmen. 1t IL
universal. That want is to restrict
immigration for the sake OF the country
and the emigrant. In other words the
wnrkingmen want fair share OF tho pro.
lection that is afforded to the employer
OF labor. Tho man who is not self.sus
tanning is pauper, and this country has
no use for him. II the man who lands il
this country ie pauper #e have to sus
tain him. II he throws resident Of THU
country out OF employment by taking biz
situation from him and works for less
wages he makes pauper or dependan,
OF the American workman. Every man
to be in accord with the genius Of our in.
situations should BIO independent. gran.
that not only thousands but millions have
come to this country without visible
means OF support and they have
not only done well, but the country ba:
cause to bless the day they landed. The
conditions which surrounded the immi
grant OF so, %, or even 10 years $50, were
far different from those surrounding the
poor fellow who lands to-day. Improved
machinery and new inventions have
within the last twenty-five yeara made il
posaible for one man to do the work o.
three and in many instances the work Of
ten. In every case where the machine
has made it possible for man to do in e
day what it required three men to do be-
fore, two out of every three must look
elsewhere for a means OF earning q liveli.
hood. Twenty-Five years have Witnessed
the absorption OF our public lands by syn.
dictates, native and alien, so that the
cities and industrial centres a,s over.
crowded" l& sI
MIR. Powder1y holds that bis ideas are
not extreme and that something is due tc
this country and to the people who are
already here IS we'll as to the emigrant
who contemplates coming here. In con-
veysstion with the Times correspondent
tonight regarding his letter, Mr.. Powder
ly said that 1t dsnls with one Of the lore.
most questions OF the day and that at the
present overwhelming rate of immig,a.
ton It was not immigration, but invasion,
and should be restricted. m
IN TIE MOUNTAINS.